Hadrian's Wall

Macs Adventure has been running self guided walking holidays on Hadrian's Wall Path since 2005. Our second-ever trip, Hadrian's Wall Path was an obvious choice.  Not long opened in 2003 it gave people a chance to walk alongside history, through some beautiful landscapes and we just knew that our customers would love it. 

We now send over 600 walkers along Hadrian's Wall every year and have over 400 Reviews to back up how much work we put in to ensure every single customer has a great experience. We wanted to provide the freedom to choose your route, itinerary and travel companions and to take Hadrian's Wall at your own pace. 

We wanted to make sure that our Hadrian's Wall trips were set up as comprehensively as our West Highland Way trips, the first and only holidays we sold at the time. The key to our success there was to ensure we knew all the local accommodation suppliers and baggage handlers, and that they were providing the high standards that we wanted for our trips. So, many visits were made, cups of tea drank and we put together out itineraries to launch Hadrian's Wall. 

We offer a flexible, tailor-made Hadrian's Wall experience that gets you in comfortable, friendly overnight accommodation in local B&Bs and guesthouses. We carry your bags to lighten your load so you can concentrate on simply putting one foot in front of the other and enjoying the unique culture, food and scenery of Northern England. You can book with confidence that we have it all covered for you. 

We want to showcase our expertise, by giving you all the resources you will ever need.  In the planning stage, we have free guides, comprehensive videos and a host of staff with their own experiences of walking Hadrian's Wall, waiting to answer your questions. On the route, we use high-quality digital mapping as well as the best maps and guidebooks to make sure you find your way.  

We love Hadrian's Wall Path and our main aim is to make sure that you do too.  

How Long? When? The most essential facts of the wall would be how long it is and when was it built. The 73-mile long wall was constructed in 117AD by Emperor Hadrian, to separate the Roman Empire from those northern Barbarians. In its glory, the wall was around 15 feet high and 10 feet wide.

Who actually built it? It took around 15,000 men over six years to build the wall. There were three main Roman garrisons stationed in England and Wales and all of these men were put to work building the wall. Hadrian himself had a keen interest in architecture and is thought to have designed it. At Chesters, you can see the names of the centurions who actually built the wall, carved into stone tablets. 

How much of the wall still exists? Only around 10% of the original wall still remains. While much of the land is still shaped to accommodate the wall, the stone itself was re-purposed or buried after the wall was abandoned. Many local buildings are said to be built from the stone from Hadrian's Wall. 

Is this the border between Scotland and England? No, it never was.  It marked the border of the Roman Empire before they headed further north and created the Antonine Wall, before retreating back to the more secure Hadrian's Wall. Most of Northumberland, England's largest county, is north of the wall, so the wall definitely does not indicate the border.